DC Heroes: Faith

Chapter 2: Green Lantern

Hal Jordan was considered the greatest of them all.

And also the worst.

Once he had been the toughest test pilot in the employ of Ferris Aircraft, the company his father had worked and died for. Taking after his father, he had gone into the Air Force and had become not just a good pilot, but one of the best ever. Leaving the military because discipline was a problem for him, he took an offer to fly for Ferris.

Unknown to him at the time, an intergalactic organization dedicated to promoting law and order was in trouble. Made up of 3600 active duty members, the Green Lantern Corps, named so because of the shape of the power battery they used for their rings, patrolled the known universe, protecting those from disorder, chaos and fear. One member, an honorable being named Abin Sur, crashed onto the Earth, a planet in his sector of responsibility.

Dying, he ordered his ring to seek out a successor for him. The closest person who had no fear, a minimum requirement for inclusion into the order, was Hal Jordan. Years later he would be the first to admit the Corps should have had more restrictive criteria. At the time he was arrogant, careless and a thrill-seeker; not the characteristics you look for when you surrender the most powerful weapon in the universe.

Still, he accepted the ring. He accepted the uniform. And, in time, he accepted the fact he needed to grow up. Hal Jordan was hailed as the savior of the Green Lantern Corps as he injected it with leadership and enthusiasm. Every new Corpsman wanted to be him, even in times when he became unsure of himself and turned over his duties to others.

Then he betrayed the Corps, succumbing to the fears he had buried deep inside himself after the destruction of Coast City by Mongul and the Cyborg-Superman. He allowed himself, though inadvertently, to be infected by the ancient entity of fear, Parallax. Becoming more than man, Hal Jordan rewrote Creation itself as his fears pushed him to achieve the power of a god.

A mad god. A god so consumed with grief he abandoned everything he had achieved in the vain hope he could right a wrong that in his mind he could have prevented from occurring. He was opposed by all of his former comrades and in his madness, he murdered many of them. He was pursued through time and he continued to kill with wanton abandonment. His fear was such it threatened to break down all that had ever been.

And then, in a moment of clarity, Hal Jordan remembered who he was and sacrificed his life to kill the Sun-Eater, thereby saving the Earth he had found so flawed. It had been his hope to move on to the afterlife and find peace.

Now he was alive again, back in the uniform of a Green Lantern. Fate had handed him a second chance.

Or at least, he would be back in his uniform if he could remember who he actually was.

The alarm clock went off, but Hal Jordan had been up for over an hour. It was his normal routine to get up early and workout. Rao expected everyone to take good care of themselves and Hal was doing his best to conform.

A stirring in the bed told him Carol was awake and none too happy about it. She had been up late again, going over the new marketing plan being put together for the upcoming fiscal year. Ferris Aircraft was expected to have a generous return for its investors and Carol was going to deliver.

Unlike most women, Hal noted, Carol put her career first, which had put a great strain on their marriage. The greatest praise one could offer Rao was more faithful followers. Carol had never been interested in children.

The raven-haired woman sat up in the bed and let the sheet fall away, revealing a body that was in far better shape than Hal's, despite all of his exercise. Both of them were in their mid-thirties, yet Carol looked nineteen. Hal hated that and lusted for it. They loved each other, that was for sure, but he still would have been happier if they had been more faithful to Rao.

He wanted kids.

"Morning," she said, stretching. He stood in the doorway to their bathroom, toweling himself off after his shower. He was sorely tempted to make love to her, but he had a very important appointment.

"Same to ya," he said with a sly grin. She recognized the smile.

"Got those thoughts again, Mr. Jordan?" she laughed. She knew about his appointment and knew nothing was going to keep him from it. Though they had been together for years, she still did not understand his willingness to tow the Rao line. Yes, she acknowledged the greatness of Rao, but she had some real issues with the way the religion of Rao treated women. "You'll miss your appointment," she chided him.

He moved over to the dresser and she noted he was rubbing his finger again. He had been doing it for weeks. She didn't think he knew she had seen him doing it, but often times he would look at his wedding band and his faced would take on a puzzled expression. It occurred to her that the symbol of their love was foreign to her.

She had not dared to express aloud she had the same thoughts when she looked at her own hand.

Rings meant something to both of them, and they knew they loved each other. But, by RAo, she could not help but think there was something odd about their relationship. Yet, they had known each other for years; they had been intimate as teenagers!

Hal pulled out a pair of dark socks to match the belt he had chosen. She noted he had once again picked a green shirt to go with the navy slacks. "What is it with that color?"

"What?" he asked playfully. Green wasn't even his favorite, but he fancied it. "It represents Krypton, the place where Mighty Rao first revealed Himself to the universe."

She took in a deep breath. Since they had converted to Rao, after the arrival of the blessed Disciples, Hal had become more animated when talking about spiritual matters. Before, when they had been…had been…been…

"Hey, babe," Hal called out to her. Carol shook her head and realized she had done it again, phased out the world as she slipped into following trailing thoughts. "I know you don't get into the whole Rao thing…"

She stood up and walked over to him, naked. Standing up on her tip toes, she gave him a kiss on the nose. "You want to leave your nice cushy job as top pilot for my company, fine! Go join the Kryptonian Guards; relive the days of your youth. If you get in, though, just remember we love Rao in this house, but I make all of the decisions!"

Her smile told him she was not being too serious and he took her in his arms. They stood there for a moment and then parted. He could not be late for his interview with Mr. Snart, the local Guards attaché. He had called the day before about the application Hal had e-mailed in to the headquarters of the Guards and an interview time was set up for the coming afternoon.

The Guards were the premiere military force of the New Krypton the Earth was slowly becoming. Six months before, the Disciples of Rao had come and discovered that zealots of false faiths had been using mind control to force the population of the planet to adhere to several differing, make-believe faiths. Through the Disciples and their wondrous heroes, Earth had been restored to its place of honor and became the starting point for a new Kryptonian civilization.

Through prayer and patience, Hal had learned to forget the awful time of his past when he was not in full communion with Rao. It was also through this process of discernment he determined he could best serve his god by joining the Guards. As a pilot, he knew he would have skills they needed. Many of the elite agents of the Guards needed to be transported and nothing was faster than flying.

Two hours later, he was walking into the Guards' recruitment center in downtown Coast City, once a LexCorp office building. LexCorp, it had been revealed, had secretly been supplying the zealots with the technology they needed to keep the population of Earth oppressed. The head of the company, Lex Luthor, was in hiding and one of the top criminals wanted throughout the world.

Hal recognized a large black man standing at an elevator. "John!" he called out.

The man turned around and instantly produced a grin. John Stewart was an architect and good friend of Hal's, though neither could recall the exact circumstances of their first meeting. It wasn't important anymore because a true friendship did not require a beginning or an end. "Let me guess, Captain Cold?"

Hal stopped short. The name meant something to him and his finger began to itch again. It always itched when he started thinking. "Excuse me?"

John laughed and pressed the up button. "Mr. Snart? The recruiter…he's called Captain Cold because he has no sense of humor. Straight to business. No small talk. You're here to speak with him, aren't you?"

Hal nodded. "How did you know? Are you here to…"

The other man shook his head. "No, I'm part of the city planning committee. We've been tearing down a lot of the zealots' false worship centers and we need to decide what to put in their place." He sighed. "It's a lot of work."

"Yeah, well the zealots had a stranglehold on us, but thanks to the Disciples," Hal told him as the door opened. "Thanks to them, we are free."

John entered as well and nodded his head. "Yep. Say, how's that wife of yours? Any kids on the way?"

The disappointment on Hal's face told him the answer before the words left his lips. "She still doesn't want to have any. You?"

John snickered. "I've got the crush on the high priestess, remember? Those women from Korugar…well, there's nothing like them. My parish administrator gave me a indulgence since nobody can compare to the beauty of the priestess."

"You should still get married."

"I know, Hal, but Carol is taken," John joked.

Before Hal could respond, the doors opened and John stepped out without another word. Hal knew he would have to think of something witty and call his friend about it.

"Mr. Jordan, we have reviewed your application and there are some questions that I need to ask you," Mr. Snart said. He sat across from Hal in a non-descript room with a plain wooden table and two chairs. Just as John had said, the man had no personality.

"Go ahead, my life is an open book," Hal offered.

Snart did not even flinch. "You have been married for how long?"

Hal's finger began to itch. "I'm not really sure; when the Disciples destroyed the mind-controlling devices, we kind of forgot the date…"

"I see, and did you not try to do a records search? You do know it is frowned upon for couples not to begin having children," Snart immediately replied. Hal was very aware of it.

"Yes, but…"

Snart removed his blue-tinted sunglasses and put down his paper and pencil. "Mr. Jordan, I will be very frank with you. 99 of your application is exemplary. Military service. Test pilot. No criminal record. Married. Drug test came back negative. You are exactly what the Guards need."

A big smile crept its way onto Hal's face. For whatever reason, he felt the need to belong to something bigger than himself. This was his chance. "That's great!"

Then Snart dropped the bomb. "Except you do not have children. Rao wants us all to procreate. Some of us are not fortunate enough to have pretty young brides, Mr. Jordan, with live-giving wombs."

"Actually, Carol just looks young…"

Snart was not amused and picked up his pencil and scribbled a note that Hal could not read. "You've married a woman that does not want to fulfill her biological duties. Women were created by Rao to serve men in the bedroom, first and foremost. They are obligated to…"

Hal held up a hand. "I am familiar with the text of the sacred tome, as is my wife. Carol looks at her business as her child, and even you have to admit that Ferris provides some of the best military aircraft in the world."

Snart shrugged. "I'm a recruiter, not a field operative. You score highly in all areas except faith. By faith, I mean your willingness to pass on a piece of yourself for the next generation. As the warming rays of Rao once delivered upon the promise of life on Krypton century after century, so must we ensure there are generations of worshippers to receive His gifts." The two men looked at one another for a few more moments. Hal was not sure what to say. Lately, he had been finding he had to defend Carol more and more to everyone. He was not enjoying it.

There were no laws regarding reproduction, but a woman who did not use her ovaries to the maximum output was seen as cheating Rao. "Then I suppose I'm not getting in?" Hal finally asked.

Snart ripped off the section of the paper he had been writing on and pushed it to Hal. "Mr. Jordan, under the precepts of the faith, should a man have a barren wife, be it physical or spiritual, he is entitled to, and encouraged to get, a consort. As it is, the Scarlet Knight himself took an interest in your file and has given me the name of a woman who recently completed realignment training."

Hal did not reach for the note. "I don't want to be unfaithful to my wife."

Snart again shrugged. "So divorce her. You wish to procreate?"

Hal nodded. Despite everything, despite his love for Carol, he did want to have kids. They were married after all! "I don't want to divorce my wife, either."

"Fly to Gotham City and meet this woman. Both of you are healthy and fit and she is not looking to marry."

Hal shook his head. "This is insane! You're telling me to get into the Guards I have to impregnate a woman other than my wife?" His finger was practically burning now.

Snart nodded, collected his things and stood up. "The Scarlet Knight has personally requested this. It is a rare honor. Most men would jump at the chance to bed this woman. Children are necessary, Mr. Jordan."

On the other side of the two-way mirror, Kilgrave watched in fascination. Next to him was a woman wearing the traditional uniform of law officer from Thanagar. The difference between her uniform and that of the people of her homeworld was the color. She was in clad in full crimson. "His will is strong; I am surprised the memory inducer worked at all against him," Kilgrave said.

The woman nodded. "Still, if we can get him to fully integrate into the faith, to truly accept Rao, he will prove to be a valuable leader."

Kilgrave looked down at his power ring. So many people felt it was the ring that was the weapon, but truly it was the mind and the will. Hal Jordan was a resource the disciples could not afford to let go. "You will watch him for me?"

The woman smiled. "If it gets us any closer to having children of our own, then yes."

He put a hand on the Crimson Hammer's shoulder. "My love, I cannot wait until the day we can put down our weapons and hand off these duties to another generation of warriors. Then you and I can settle somewhere on this planet and have our own family."

She seemed to take some measure of comfort in the words. "What about John Stewart? He is also a ring-bearer."

Kilgrave shrugged. "The principle is the same, except he does not have the passions for procreation that Jordan does. Stewart's wife was murdered. The emotional scarring is too great to overcome. By putting him with the city government, he is starting to step up as well."

"We all have our duties to Rao."

Kilgrave looked once more at Jordan, who hesitantly reached for the paper note. "Yes, we all do."